MICROHARDNESS ANALYSIS OF DIAMOND-LIKE CARBON-FILMS

A microhardness analysis of amorphous diamond-like carbon (a:DLC) film s, synthesized from methane by the RF glow discharge method was carrie d out. It was performed using a standard tester PMT-3, which consisted of a flat field microscope and a diamond stylus probe. Vickers indent ation measurements were taken using constant loads of 10 g, 20 g, 30 g , 50 g and 60 g in a continuous pressure. It was shown that the microh ardness of the a:DLC thin films strongly depended on the methodologica l principles of the measurement technique and the instrumentation used . An iteration method was applied to choose the correct load value. Ea ch load was accompanied by a metallographical control of the indentor stamps quality. Best results were obtained for 10 g, 20 g and 30 g loa ds. The analysis is based on the empirical approach((1-13)) and the ca vity model of the indentation hardness.((14))